Watch Your Local TV Station? There's an App for That

4/29/2013 11:09AM

In an effort to compete with more and more TV programming online, local TV stations are developing apps for their viewers. Amol Sharma points out, however, the stations are running into rights issues when it comes to programming.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... this tool used jeopardy EU although the show to be right for you wanna see it on your local was hit on at HQ was ... local app in Spokane Washington ... may have trouble with that one very inching story here local TV stations tourney keep up with the times ... people good mood mobile moving into mobile doing apps ... however they all routes and challenges to the same old ... Harmison challenges the Amundsen challenges here on this that actually pay off early in the act is a very good story should pick up the should read it ... Ai was the local stations were kind of league local newspapers ... in that despite all the competition in the world you have is very small audience very dedicated audience ... but actually is they move into the mobile space ... there is competition for them ... yay another station local stations are trying to figure out we've got all this programming on our ... NBC station right ABC station which includes on our newscasts and of course that night the prime time programming and to get them the net worth of shows in her uses the leader ... euro whatever it's on Fox ... ALM ... so they're trying to figure out how do we get that to mobile before other people do in their start-ups and in a world that are bringing in this broadcast content there without their permission my carry on ... aam there are a number of of the of mobile phone companies are bringing different types of products and then they're watching cable companies bring ... in an ESPN bring watching ESPN to eye pads ... PMI's HBO Go ... so it's highly gimmick and that's gonna be the future for them so that so they're kind of thing that out yet and it is a very old stories very interesting idea that still are not a household name ... can explain what's going on with that with what they're doing ... sure right it's an Internet services offered with the color over the top ... I it's right now so when one market essentially with the they've got as a package or they get into a New York ... in its expanding to Boston soon and that that twenty two more markets open launch in this year ... they split the package of broadcast TV ... networks ... or CBS is in the ABC and Fox the local area ... they often as a package online or on your tablet ... for people for a fee the fee varies but it's a it's a subscriber fee model ... again or not they they view that is free over the air signals right that they can re purpose on behalf of customers who have kind of a right to have an antenna and receive in over the years ago ... but it's a thorny legal question should shed doubt broadcast stations be compensated for that ... right now they're compensated by cable company is not a significant number billions of dollars of paid every year by cable companies ... to put those stations on your on your cable lineup ... so now there's a tussle going on in the courts over ... should area be paying as well ... write a mean to really funny thing with the ... Clintons think some over the years Staples and was used in the Hague on TV ... delegates from cable and if those signals are still there ... and he is also a backdoor way ... disorder Adonis you know ... the tobacco would steal the signal ... the eyesight leads me to write now were down to about twelve percent ... or thirty percent of U S population in terms of TV households ... actually relying on the over the year the rabbit ears means it's almost three is phased out at this point ... but of course all the stations are on cable is he said ... so they've created these the local stations are local affiliate survive that whole transition the Caymans Adelaide by getting paid ... these retransmission fees is the column but on the internet and mobile it's just a whole new game an added benefit that now what we do about this for so ... these apps push this ... we focus on one in the story and and and Spokane no one station they're testing or as just the beginning in the next five ... to ten years of the time the law to differ models ... figuring out how to get paid and of course ... as you mention the top how do we get the rights to all this network programming for syndicated programming like game shows like jeopardy and wheel forecast a meal fit for that right ... that's the big thing they don't and otherwise and analyze channel ... on your I pad playing with gaps that different parts of the day with with a half to fill it with ... more local newscasts are ... slowly soccer games or something which is not can be the same as showing ... dancing with the stars ... how long you think that's going to be wrapped up in ... the Albright in getting writes the legal tussle area ... colony think would be before you know THQ has jeopardy nuclear whatever they put on ... it's it's a it's a it's a money question and allow differ ways to implement it that they can implement in in in partnership with the network parents ... so you know ... who knows it could be could happen quickly if the economics work for everyone nor can take a few years ... aam sports are particularly difficult the NFL in getting the NFL games because ... remember the Lee has to give the rights ... to a network like CVS that has to give the rights to a station and that whole process could take a while while are a small story Tesla taken on that